'the Twilight Zone' The Lonely

Season 1. Episode 7“The Lonely”Originally aired on Nov. 13, 1959Written by Rod Serling Spoiler Alert: You should only continue reading if you have seen the episode in question. The Twilight Zone’s themes are revealed in subtle ways that shouldn’t be ruined by reading an essay before you have seen the episode.

While this episode deals with loneliness and isolation, it does so on the grand stage by using the metaphor of one man on an asteroid. The man has been sentenced for 50 years because he killed someone in self-defense. His only relief comes from a ship that brings supplies every three months. During one such visit, the captain smuggles the prisoner a robot in the form of a woman. The relationship explores the possibility of a machine being able to take the place of human companionship. As the machine learns what the man enjoys, it becomes more like him. He loves her in the same way that the Creator loves his creation. When word comes that the man has been pardoned, he must leave the robot behind to rust and ultimately be blown away by the wind. The metaphor is clear as Serling talks about a speck of dust floating through space, which could be this asteroid or Earth, and having to leave a life behind, created in his own image, kept alive by love but now obsolete, which could be man’s own fate.